There For You
by Dorylus
Summary: Kiba loses Akamaru, and it's up to his friends and acquaintances to pick up the pieces.
1. The Bond Severed

**There For You**

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-Disclaimer: Don't own.

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**Part 1** - **The Bond Severed**

Like all missions that turn into disasters, this one seemed simple and easy enough at face value. Kiba wasn't a complete tool, however - one lesson he'd taken early from his duties toward Konoha was that the shadow of death lingered around always. When he'd fought Sakon and Ukon, he had no illusions that, in all probability, he'd have ended up some exsanguinated corpse drifting down a river, and it was only fortuitous intervention from Kankuro that saved him. FUBAR was just a stone's throw away.

Kiba knew that lesson, but he'd always hoped that it would never be reinforced by experience.

It was.

Bandits were the assigned target, but their regular looting earned them enough money to purchase the services of a shinobi before justice came to bang down their doors. Kiba might say it was unlikely, but he wouldn't be kidding anyone - in any case, bare-faced lies weren't his style. Once the thieves had made their first play, they were obliged to follow the road to the end, because when in for a ryo, they might has well have taken a thousand to get the additional security.

It didn't pay off.

The shinobi wasn't too difficult to take down - perhaps they would be moderate chunin in rank if they weren't a missing-nin. However, their stealth play was tricky. They were certainly aware of the reliance of Inuzuka on the scent trail - their gambit cost Kiba. He was left uninjured, but at the same time, it was not an experience from which he would ever fully recover. Loyalty ran deeper than any other motivation.

After Kiba had found Akamaru, a kunai through the faithful ninken's throat, he saw red. Figuratively, at first, but then literally as Kiba cornered the shinobi and attacked. No strategy, no tactics. Just a flurry of claws. Hinata and Shino discovered Kiba in the clearing with his prey, and it was a sight that immediately etched itself into their sleeping hours.

Blood soaked the soil around the kill, and even though his berserk claw swipes had sliced and mangled the corpse into chunky salsa, Kiba did not relent. This was his revenge, and he didn't need a lifetime of plotting, or to curdle his hatred into a stone at the pit of his stomach and let it out at just the right opportunity. He just needed to lash out as soon as humanly possible, and after disembowelling, pummelling and even occasionally biting, the anger subsided, leaving a hollow. That vacuum drew into it the grief that was held back during his rampage, and Kiba wept. Some of the blood splattered over his face flowed downward with the stream of tears and back into the corpse. Kiba lost track of everything around him for a time, absorbed completely in the shattered web of his own mind.

Hinata passed out almost immediately at the sight of it. She only wished the cause could have been as innocuous as talking to Naruto, but the reason was unadulterated terror. She was a ninja, but nothing she had ever seen could prepare her for this.

Shino gaped, sweat beading on his face and dripping down his collar. A change in wears was nowhere near the top of his mind as he watched one of his comrades perform a massacre - and there was no sugar-coating it. This was the worst possible way to find out that Kiba was, indeed, the alpha of the three genin. Kiba was a terrifying thing to behold when murder was on his mind - but then, what else was to be expected when the spirit of the wild coursed through him with such strength?

One of the bandits had witnessed the 'battle' and turned away with his tail tucked between his legs. Had he been paying attention, Kiba could have clearly smelled the distinct odour of faeces. Shino's kikaichu had certainly picked it up, but somehow, Shino didn't feel the need to follow him back to take care of the rest - he had no doubt that those bandits would pack their business up and _run_. They didn't have _any_ training to help them cope.

Tsunade was stunned by the mission report. Kurenai was similarly lost on discovering the events described therein. She didn't know whether to comfort Kiba, offer a reprimand, or leave him to his own devices. Kurenai settled on the third one for the time being. Kiba was hard enough to force into compliance on a good day, and this was a far cry from a good day.

Team eight didn't see Kiba for the rest of the week. Tsume and Hana gave Akamaru an informal funeral, during which Kiba was present by obligation. After that, they, too, lost track of Kiba's location for a time, and that stood for their ninja hounds as well.

When Kiba showed his face again, there was no missing the change. Visibly, he had a neutral expression, but Hinata was well-trained in reading body language and Shino's bugs became restless under his small, but intense and continuous release of killing intent. Kurenai determined that an intervention was necessary, but they would have to be clever about this. No lecture about getting over himself would accomplish anything. This needed a personal, human touch to accomplish. It was humorous, in a grim sort of fashion. Goose-stepping around Kiba was a completely alien concept.

Kurenai met with the Konoha 12, and they agreed to accompany Kiba on the basis of a schedule. Tsunade re-delegated and opened the requisite gaps in mission availability. It was time, they hoped, to pull him out of the darkness.

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A/N: I mentioned in The Cubey that I was renovating my profile with the help of a few resurrected stories. Well, I'm kind of behind on that front, but I'm getting there. The first person on the schedule is Shino.

Dorylus signing off.


	2. Canid and Coleopteran

**There For You**

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**Part 2** - **Canid and Coleopteran**

It was a rare situation in which Shino was attempting to keep the conversation going and Kiba was, for all intents and purposes, merely idle and absorbing. It was logical, then, that there wasn't much talk at all to speak of, but the silence was distinctly uncomfortable.

The two animal tamers had done nothing fancier than head out to a pasture of pristine grassland in a forest clearing to have a picnic and attempt to unwind. Said picnic consisted mostly of slices of winter melon and boxes of beef jerky, Shino staying careful not to turn his nose up at the potent smell of the meat - it seemed that Tsume liked to add a little bite to her cooking.

"You may recognise this place, Kiba. Why? Because..."

"It's the place we first met. The five of us."

"Indeed. When we first became a team. It was also the first place you practiced dynamic marking. How do I know? Because the kikaichu who witnessed it passed the story down. I discovered that ninken urine has detrimental effects on the communication pheromones of my insects."

"And then we double-teamed you and ripped your arms and stomach. I have to ask, how do your shades stay on in combat?"

"I don't know. Why? Because it appears to be a trade secret, one that the salesman is not willing to disclose to any customer, regardless of loyalty. Or profitability. My theory is that it is laced with some form of adhesive that reacts to chakra."

Kiba didn't say anything.

"I can't say I know what you're going through. Kikaichu last only a few hours, so although death greets my comrades continuously, as individuals, I hardly know them. Akamaru, on the other hand..."

Kiba snarled at him.

"I shall cut to the point. Why? Because detailing what you have lost would be superfluous at this point. We have eaten about our fill. I shall leave now. I am not skilled in the ways of comfort."

Kiba snorted, the amusement displayed prominently on his face contrasting nicely with his expression just a few seconds ago.

"Throughout our time together in service of Konoha, my observations have led me to conclude that you are too strong to be dragged down by this. Do not attempt to contradict them." That final sentiment given, Shino departed as he had said, leaving Kiba to his own devices. The Aburame seemed to know him very well - the parting challenge, cold at a cursory level, was a masquerade for faith - faith that Kiba would, indeed, move past this. He considered those words again. Maybe he would, but it wouldn't be soon.


	3. The Language of Flowers

**There For You**

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**Part 3** - **The Language of Flowers**

It could not be said that Kiba and Ino knew each other well. The values that they held could hardly have been more different.

Ino liked to know how people worked beneath the surface, the patterns and quirks that manifested in everything they did. She could be deceptive and manipulative, but true to the nature of the Will of Fire, this was never done in a manner that she predicted might bring harm to her closest friends - it was mostly frivolous gossip and matchmaking. Ino could mess around, yes, but she usually did so in a manner that wouldn't dirty her latest clothes. They were expensive.

Kiba, by contrast, rolled with his intuitive interpretation of someone. This wasn't as problematic as it first appeared, because for what intellectual shortcomings he possessed, Kiba was a good judge of character, and quick to revise his opinions if it were to emerge that they were wrong. Kiba enjoyed fighting, and it was no fun if there were no bruises.

That wasn't it, though. It was simply a matter of geography and tactics. The Inuzuka didn't live particularly close to the Yamanaka, and Kiba's style went for quick kills, as his display in the forest showed, whereas Ino's style targeted the mind and puppeteered the flesh, so it made little sense to send them on the same kinds of missions.

Ino did, at least, have something prepared for her turn on the roster, even if she was listed as second. She taught.

Kiba, also contrary to popular opinion, liked to learn. Learning was an essential part of growth, and growth was an essential part of being any animal, human or otherwise. Kiba was thus quick to learn Ino's lessons. There was nothing said person to person, which was nice, because Kiba would likely get enough of that from some of the others (Neji and Shikamaru were obvious exceptions).

"Alright, Kiba, give three potential uses for a violet."

"Fragrance."

"Check."

"Ornamentation."

"Check."

"Medicine."

"Okay, triple check. Bonus points, then. How might violets be used in medicine?"

"They might be used to repel diseased insects to prevent bites. Some of the chemicals can also be isolated to help kill bacteria and stuff."

"Good. Okay, that was your last lesson, Kiba. Feel free to chase me up on further lessons. Makes for juicy gossip that a man is into flowers, eh?" Kiba flushed red.

"Shut up! You dare do that, and I''ll train my next ninken to pee on your prized specimens!"

_Wait_, _next ninken_?

_Yeah_, _some of the puppies will be all grown up soon_. _I wonder_. _What will my next dog look like_?

"You wouldn't dare." Ino said, but her pallor indicated that yes, she believed Kiba would, in fact, dare. She backed off, leaving Kiba to ponder his next companion.

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A/N: I will here clarify that this is AU, with the point of divergence early in Shippuden. Also, most of the chapters will be about this long except for the last one, which will be comparable to the first one.


	4. Cloning For Dummies

**There For You**

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**Part 4** - **Cloning for Dummies**

Naruto was not a person many of the citizens of Konoha believed had much in the way of redeeming features. He was impulsive, thick-skulled and utterly lacked tact and fashion sense. That did not stop Kiba from envying him, however.

For one thing, Naruto was a surprisingly solid teacher, which he would come to demonstrate when he taught another genin the rasengan. He was able to make friends and earn their loyalty quickly, making him a valuable Hokage prospect, the part Kiba was most sour about. He was quick to master skills that were frankly above his level. When he was asked by Sakura what he would be doing, Naruto's first idea was to buy Kiba some ramen. This was summarily shot down.

His second idea was to teach Kiba the shadow clone. Nothing helped forgetting like busting your ass training, and few methods of training devoured more energy than learning to make a shadow clone. Naruto neglected to consider the further benefits, believing that just having the jutsu by itself was an asset, but Kiba quickly deduced the additional case-specific bonuses. If he got the jutsu down fast enough, Kiba could build his arsenal around a beast-transformed shadow clone, keeping his ability to execute flawless collaboration taijutsu, and, once he had a ninken again, to triple-team his opponent and unlock a new level of beast transformation. His fang over fang would become formidable.

"Come on, Kiba!"

"I'm trying, but this god-damn thing is impossible!" Naruto smiled mischievously, then created a hundred shadow clones for good measure.

"Impossible, eh? Then why can a _genin_ do it while a _chunin_ can't?" It stung his lips a little to have to say the accursed word, but being ticked off was good motivation, and good motivation was critical to learning any advanced jutsu - or time, but Naruto was not one to do things slowly, and Kiba would have to agree.

"Give me three hours and I'll have this thing down flat." Kiba decided, for the sake of the sanity he held onto despite his village allegiance, that he emphatically did _not_ sound like Naruto then. Naruto gave him those three hours.

It was time for the demonstration.

"Alright, dog-breath, let's see what you've got!"

"You'll regret that, squirt." Naruto was expecting Kiba to complete the jutsu, but he was not expecting him to match his speed for the hand seal.

"Thanks, Naruto. I'm going to put this to good use."

"No problem, but first..." Naruto performed another, different seal. Confused, Kiba took a couple of seconds to realise that dye was leaking out into his trousers. Cursing Naruto, he departed to grab another pair.

"Who the hell would teach that _punk_ fuinjutsu? And when did he even apply the seal?" Revenge was in order. Just maybe...


End file.
